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What to do, what to do?

Submitted by AKQGuy on Fri, 2009-12-18 11:55

Do you ever have one of those moments when you realize, you don't want to work on anything you already have on the needles? I have this huge Ruana that is only a quarter of the way done. It's all garter stitch and boring as all get out. I also have a cabled scarf that is to go to someone else but I hate the color so there's no desire to work on it. A lace scarf that just required too much counting at this very moment, and I have started a baby surprise jacket, that I think, I may actually pull out, but I'd rather make myself a sweater...

I just finished a kind of spontaneous fair isle hat that was for some guy that came into the Dancing Sheep looking for a pre-knit fair isle hat similar to the one his wife wants... damn non-knitters... kidding, hey, I got my first commissioned (ok ok, I volunteered) piece out of him. If I could figure out how to post here, I would put up pics.

Anyway, jus tmy morning knitting frustration. Hope you all have a great day!

Comments

Maybe time for a break: read a novel, do some of the things around the house that you'll "get to eventually". In short, allow yourself to pause in the knitting until the itch starts tickling around your fingertips again.

I know the feeling well. I'm on a medical leave for 2 weeks so far, likely a third as well, and have been forcing myself to finish what I've already started, contrary to my nature. Many a time I've decided to start a new project and had to go out to get another set because all needles of the required size were already in use. (Let's be honest... they weren't being used for anything but to hold stitches on an abandoned and forlorn project).

So, I'm down to one more hedgehog and straps for the felted market bag and you show up with this Fair Isle hat. Looks like a fun knit. Got lots of yarn around here. Empty needles. Lots of time. I feel my resolve crumbling as I type ... must ... be... strong.... Ah, the hell with it! You got a pattern for that hat or a source for the pattern?

As for this hat, it's kinda made up. I used the directions for the ear flaps from the Norwegian Earflap HAt off of Ravelry. It's a free design... but thats where the similarities end. I didn't even cast on the same # of stitches between them. I simply went out and either created my own (the wave pattern) or found others that were multiples of 12 stitches. I knew I needed the hat to be 20 inches in diameter, so I played with needle sizes until I got gauge to equal within 20 inches a multiple of 12 (96 stitches on size 5's). From there, I measured the difference between my ear distances from the front across m forehead, to the back across the occiput ridge. That let me know that I have a 3rd less space formthe back, ajusted my stitches accordingly in cast on and ran with it. I dropped my patterns in, and since I did follow the idea of, "Wouldn't that pearl ridge be nice" from the pattern, I decided to copy it at the top as well to frame inthe color work. The second pearl ridge though caused the top of the hat to lay flat. I liked the effect and adjusted my decreases, sticking to the divisibillity of 12 to create a pinwheel effect on the top of the hat.

In other words, as I tell people in the yarn shop who are fretting over minute details... "Wing it." What's the worse that can happen? You have to t ear back? It's only a hat.

Hope some of this helped? As you can see, I don't stick to patterns very well. Jus tlike when I cook. I tend to use recipes and patterns as mere inspiration for the final product.

Sorry to hear that the "project Blahs" have hit. I've been struggling with them also. Might it be the weather we've been having? All I want to do is curl up with a good book, keep warm, and pretend nothing else exists. Very nice looking hat, though. I'm glad you got to make it. -- Books, knitting, cats, fountain pens...Life is Good.

So I learned that trying to reply form my blackberry last night, just simply doesn't want to work, so here we go again...

Thanks Jo, I apreciate the empathy. I actually decided on Friday I wasn't going to knit a damn thing. sat down with a book that was lent to me (my awesome dog Emmitt actually had a cabin fever moment from the cold last week and ate the spine of it... we all have our moments. I usually sette for devouring brownies or Fritos, but hey, when your not bipedal and thumbless, yout ake what you can get I guess), and read the whole damn thing. YEsterday I actually picked up the cable scarf and am attacking that again. It should be done today if I get a couple hours to work on it.

Hope that knitting bug bites again as we have turned warm and the wind has settled down.

Thanks, Q. The bug has bit again and I'm getting more accomplished but still am not up to speed ... yet. The change in the weather definitely helped. Part of the problem is that I got the great idea of rereading all of the Harry Potter series...probably not a good idea at this busy time of the year. Like the way the hat pattern developed; I want to use a similar turn row on a hat design I've been kicking around for awhile. Looking forward to seeing you soon. -- Books, knitting, cats, fountain pens...Life is Good.

I have a sweater and two pair of unfinished socks that simply bored me to death. I will get back to them one day and you will too. In the mean time take a break and enjoy something else. Have a happy holiday.

I, too, completely understand. I am currently 1/3 finished with an afghan that I've been "working" on for several months. It's a patchwork design so I thought the 6 different patterns would be enough to keep me preoccupied. I could vary from the easiest to the most difficult as I wished, but I've just lost interest in it.
I've spent the past 4 days knitting a couple scarves to give as gifts to a couple friends who always comment on a Santa scarf I wear this time of the year. Now those are done and I've picked up the afghan again, but it's starting to feel like the never-ending project.
Making the scarves was simple. All garter stitch which can get boring, but at least I can work on it without much concentration. I thought about spending the whole year just making a bunch of scarves and maybe selling them at craft shows. Sure, sounds good... but how boring would that be!